A reason to flyA reason to fly

Ed Loxterkamp had a lot of explaining to do in 2015. He needed to explain to his wife why flying to every AOPA Regional Fly-In was so important. He told her: “Mark Baker made me do it.”

In his 1970 Piper Arrow II, Loxterkamp flew 10,905 nautical miles, put 100.2 hours on his Hobbs meter, and flew in 26 states to attend every AOPA Regional Fly-In during 2015. Meeting Baker at the final fly-in in Tullahoma, Tennessee, he told Baker, “It’s your fault!” He said, “As soon as I heard Mark mention the change to regional fly-ins, I was already planning to go to one—it was a reason to fly!”

In 2014, he attended the Indianapolis; Frederick, Maryland; and St. Simons, Georgia, fly-ins.

Loxterkamp not only flew to each of the five 2015 fly-ins but also volunteered. He created a map of his travels that he displayed on his Arrow at each fly-in.

“When I saw the locations for 2015, I realized most were close enough and since I have fond memories of Colorado Springs from my Air Force days, I had to do that one,” he said. “Salinas was the only one that didn’t initially have an obvious reason for me, but it was a perfect reason to take my Arrow coast to coast, cross the Rockies, and see parts of the U.S. in a way that most people never see.”

Salinas, California, was the farthest flight, which took him four days. He covered 4,124 nautical miles, landed in 15 states, used about 400 gallons of 100LL, and put 39.7 hours on his Hobbs meter during that trip. “That was the best trip for the sheer variety of experiences,” he said.

Loxterkamp plans to fly to AOPA Regional Fly-Ins in 2016. He’ll just need to explain to his wife why he needs to go to Beaufort, North Carolina, May 21; Bremerton, Washington, Aug. 20; Battle Creek, Michigan, Sept. 17; and Prescott, Arizona, Oct. 1. He won’t miss them if he can help it: “The fly-ins were more than I hoped for.”

Julie Summers Walker

AOPA Senior Features Editor

AOPA Senior Features Editor Julie Summers Walker joined AOPA in 1998. She is a student pilot still working toward her solo.